Rutgers basketball freshmen duo Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper have no regrets about their time with the Scarlet Knights.

From the corner of the tiny Rutgers locker room at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team’s two star freshmen were sitting practically shoulder to shoulder when they were asked each of them a natural question after the end of a disappointing season.

Madness frequently serves as a forum for high-profile NBA talents to showcase themselves on the sport's biggest stage. But this year might be even better than in year's past. Projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg — the anchor for a likely No.

Harper led Rutgers against USC with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a losing effort. He put the team on his back in both overtime periods with star teammate Ace Bailey fouling out at the end of regulation. The first-round defeat dropped the Scarlet Knights to 15-17 on the year, far outside of the 2025 March Madness pool.

When it comes to basketball — or even athletic greatness — there are no seals of approval that could possibly carry more weight with a player, with the exception of Michael Jordan.

The students at Jersey Mike’s Arena chanted “ONE MORE YEAR” at Dylan Harper but had to settle for five extra minutes. Maybe, given how his one rocky season of college basketball had unfolded, that was fitting.

With Rutgers' loss to USC in the first round of the 2025 Big 10 tournament, the collegiate careers of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey have presumably come to a close. As two of the top prospects of the 2025 NBA Draft, Harper and Bailey have yet to make an official announcement but are expected to declare in the coming weeks.

Dylan Harper scored 22 points and made several key plays down the stretch for Rutgers to pull out a 75-67 overtime victory over Minnesota on Sunday in Piscataway, N.J.